


ryan callahan's spectacular single dad daycare

by ForFighting, hlundqvists



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, M/M, New York Rangers, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-09
Updated: 2015-06-09
Packaged: 2018-04-03 16:57:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4108213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForFighting/pseuds/ForFighting, https://archiveofourown.org/users/hlundqvists/pseuds/hlundqvists
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryan Callahan's daughter, Charlotte, is his whole world. That's why he opened his own daycare, after all, so he could be there for her and still put food on the table. It's been just Ryan and Charlotte since the day he took her home from the hospital and that's all they've ever needed. Meanwhile, Dan Girardi's entire world starts and ends with his son, Landon. But when Dan brings Landon to Ryan's daycare, it unexpectedly offers the possibility of the family neither of them knew they wanted.</p>
<p>OR, that AU no one asked for in which Ryan and Dan are single dads and daycares are a place that people fall in love at.</p>
            </blockquote>





	ryan callahan's spectacular single dad daycare

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Pasha for writing this entirely self-indulgent saga of fluff and eventual porn and for being the Dan Girardi to my Ryan Callahan and just overall being a pretty cool gal. - Jess
> 
> Aaand thanks for Jess for agreeing to write this entirely self-indulgent saga with me. We hope everyone enjoys this as much as we're enjoying writing it! We'll update this as often as we can. - Pasha

The alarm goes off at what Ryan imagines has to be no later than three in the morning. It honestly feels like he's just fallen asleep, but the clock on the nightstand glows 5:30 when he reaches over to quiet the incessant buzzing. He rolls over and rubs his forehead, certain that the headache he had most of the previous evening is about to make a comeback, then sits up. 

Charlotte is already stirring in her crib across the room, and Ryan knows from more than two years of experience now that he probably just has time to shower before she's fully awake and in need of feeding and changing. He slips out of bed as quietly as he can, grabbing a change of clothes, and heads into the bathroom, where he goes about his morning routine with practiced haste. Soap, shampoo, towel dry, pulling on his boxers before poking his head back into the bedroom.

"Daddy!" Charlotte shrieks, delighted. She reaches out for him, pudgy arms stretched out over the rail of the crib. Despite the fact that she seems to have far too much energy for six in the morning (as usual), Ryan can't help but smile. 

"Good morning, baby girl," he says, lifting her out of the crib. She burrows her face into his shoulder, sleep-wobbly but cheerful, and he carries her back into the bathroom. Potty training has been another time-consuming addition to their already-hectic schedule, but Charlotte is handling it well. She sits on her little blue plastic potty and sings something absolutely unintelligible while Ryan goes about shaving. It takes a while, but she eventually does her business and Ryan suits her up in a fresh diaper before taking her back to the bedroom.

The morning isn't that bad, usually. He has a routine now, one he's almost perfected. It's the little kinks in the routine that tend to throw him. Like today; he discovers that the dress he picked out for Charlotte the night before (in the dark, not wanting to wake her) has some kind of food dried onto it, and has to find something new for her to wear, only that means picking out different shoes as well, then getting himself dressed the rest of the way...and by the time he gets them both fully dressed and into the kitchen, they've got less than ten minutes to eat and get out the door. In the interest of getting to the daycare on time, he grabs a banana and shoves a handful of cheerios into a ziploc bag, giving Charlotte a piece of toast to chew on to keep her momentarily satisfied. His own breakfast can wait, or...just be skipped, honestly, he decides, grabbing Charlotte's diaper bag from beside the door on the way out.

The drive to the daycare is time to breathe, because Charlotte is quiet, preoccupied with her toast. They don't live far away, and they pull up into the parking lot at 6:40, five minutes before opening, and Ryan hurries to get Charlotte out of her car seat, balancing her on one hip and slinging the diaper bag over his shoulder, nudging the car door shut with his _other_ hip and shuffling through the keys with his free hand for the one that unlocks the front door. There are four or five parents already lined up outside the door and they file inside after him as soon as he gets it open.

There's only one window in Ryan's office and it's not that light outside yet, so it's dark until he switches the lights on. The office is small, but Ryan likes it; there's a desk, complete with a little tray of " _Ryan Callahan - Owner & Charlotte's Dad_" business cards that he had made up for a joke, then left them out when some of the moms told him they were adorable. The walls are adorned with a wide variety of Charlotte's artwork, and there's a highchair behind the desk beside Ryan's desk chair with squishy letters along the side spelling out Charlotte's name.

He deposits Charlotte in the highchair and pours the cheerios onto the tray, along with the banana, which he quickly peels before sliding into his own chair and turning to face the group of parents.

"Morning, everybody," he says, finally letting himself take a deep breath. "How are we all doing today?"

The morning hasn't exactly gone according to plan for Dan. His shirt is more rumpled than he'd like it to be, his hair a slight mess (which he'll hopefully have time to fix), and Landon isn't looking very thrilled from where he's perched on Dan's hip. 

When Ryan addresses the group of parents, Dan tries his best to not look completely exhausted as he smiles and raises his voice to be heard. "I, uh, I'm new here. Dan Girardi? We spoke on the phone the other day." He's at a bit of loss of what to say next, looking a little sheepish and stepping aside from the group of parents.

Landon's fingers are curling against his shirt collar, pulling tightly as he buries his face against Dan's neck.

He hasn't exactly told Landon the entire truth about the whole daycare business. It's going to be difficult to get him to let go.

He's right, Ryan definitely spoke with someone named Dan Girardi on the phone the other day. At the time, it had seemed like a routine inquiry, the usual "I have a kid, you have a daycare", and, well, that's what it still is, except he's not at all what Ryan was expecting. Not in a bad way, just...Ryan talks to a lot of people on the phone, and he isn't often this off-base with his estimations of what they'll be like once he meets them.

In his head, Dan Girardi had taken the form of a slightly nerdy guy, probably with glasses and perfectly-pressed khakis, probably without a lot of time to deal with his kid. Probably forced into making the phone call in the first place by his wife. In reality, he's tall, athletically built, with a _ridiculous_ jawline and blue eyes that Ryan finds himself momentarily lost in. 

"Sorry," he says, quickly, smiling. "Didn't get a lot of sleep last night, I'm playing catch up this morning. Hey, go ahead, sit down. The nannies are here, so they can check in the other kids as they get here." He extends a hand across the desk. "I'm Ryan, this is mine and Charlotte's little attempt at the American dream."

Dan can't help the way the tension seems to melt from his shoulders a little as he takes Ryan's hand, shaking it lightly. His gaze gets caught on Ryan's for a moment, nearly forgetting to actually _reply_ before Landon is pulling on his shirt and demanding to be put down to go play with the blocks he's spotted next to Ryan's desk. He clears his throat, cheeks turning red and takes a seat, carefully letting Landon down to go over to the blocks.

"Sorry, he's just... very into building stuff lately." He hopes Ryan doesn't mind. This is a daycare but, still. First impressions and all that. "It's a nice building. I think you and Charlotte have been doing just fine." 

He smiles at Ryan, trying not to seem too nervous. "So, uh, what information do you need from me?"

Ryan grins; Charlotte hasn't been much for building yet, but she's younger than Landon, and he expects she'll hit some kind of construction phase as well. Not that he would know; he's far less prepared for this whole fatherhood venture than he ever anticipated.

"It's fine," he assures Dan, "That's what they're there for." He watches Landon, then turns his attention back to Dan. "Uh, right, yeah, I have all the forms and stuff. It's just kind of what you'd expect - things you know he needs, allergies you know of, any food you don't want him to have or do want him to have, any issues he has playing with other kids, all that." He leans back, pulling a small stapled bundle of papers out of a drawer behind him and passing them across the desk to Dan. "How old is he?"

Letting out a sigh of relief, Dan seems to rest a bit easier in the chair and takes the papers from Ryan. "He's--" Just as he's about to say 'four', Landon interrupts rather loudly with a bright, "I'm four!", blocks still clutched in his hands as he gazes up at Ryan with a bright smile.

It's a cute moment, really, but Dan has to ruin it with a stern voice. "Landon, what did I tell you about interrupting conversations?"

The tone makes Landon deflate a little, the smile fading as he settles back down with the blocks and pokes at them forlornly. "You said is rude to talk when others talk."

Dan gives a nod, then a small smile and reaches out to gently tickle Landon's side. "That's right. So be good today and don't interrupt, okay?"

Landon just nods, still looking a little put down at being scolded. It always makes Dan feel like some terrible monster to give discipline but without it, Landon would be the one being a monster.

"Sorry," he turns back to Ryan, glancing at the papers. "So, he's four." He flips through the pages, quickly figuring out what the answers will be and looks at Ryan with an almost shy smile. "Do you have a pen I can borrow to fill this out?"

Charlotte throws a cheerio at Landon, presumably in response to his outburst, an impish grin on her face, and Ryan has to suppress the amused smile that threatens to spread across his own. 

"Hey, Char, no. We don't throw food." He pushes her Cheerios back into a neat pile, then grabs a pen from a drawer, clicking it open and handing it to Dan. "Here, sorry." He rubs his forehead, trying not to look as tired as he feels. 

"He seems like a sweet kid," Ryan says, watching Landon play. He wonders what Landon's mother looks like; it's pretty obvious that he didn't get his hair color from Dan...which reminds him...

"Oh, make sure you don't miss the alternate contact information," he says, leaning over to tap one of the fields on the form. "You wouldn't believe how many times I've had people forget that and then they get caught in traffic or miss a train or something and then Charlotte and I are here until eight o'clock and she's just grumpy as anything by then and I can't get her to sleep. You know the drill."

Dan takes the pen with a nod of thanks, leaning forward to rest the papers against the desk so that he can start filling the information out. It's pretty easy, there's not much that Landon is allergic to or foods he can't have. He fills it all out with ease until he gets to the alternate contact information section. That's when the slight frown starts to form on his face and he glances down at Landon.

"He is a sweet kid," he comments lightly, tapping the pen against the papers. "And I promise that even if it's not me, there will always be someone here on time to pick him up."

It's as if as he's speaking that Dan finally makes a decision of who to add at the alternate contact and starts to fill the information out. In the box that asks for the contact’s relationship to the child, Dan scribbles in a quick, 'neighbor and occasional babysitter.'

Ryan should look over the form more carefully than he does, but his head is already killing him and it's not even seven thirty yet, so he skims over the information quickly, hopping between the most important fields. He makes sure there's a name in the alternate contact field - Cameron, he's assuming that's Landon's mom, although the last names don't match (not that that's anything out of the ordinary these days) - basically, he just makes sure there's a name there and skims over the rest of it. 

"Are you in a hurry?" he asks. "We've got playtime coming up and it's always great to see how the kids interact together their first day. The nannies will all be there, so if you can't stay, you don't have to, but a lot of parents like to the first time. Charlotte..." That last bit is added warningly, because Charlotte is holding her banana and looking like she might be considering throwing it in the same direction she lobbed the cheerio earlier. "Ah-ah. You want to play, don't you?" 

"Play!" she says, enthusiastically, and Ryan grins. "She's pretty outgoing. She'll probably be trying to follow him everywhere by the end of the day, she always does that when there's someone new."

It's not as if Dan has to be in a rush to get to work -- he'd taken a half day just for this, in case Landon proved too troublesome at fitting in at the daycare. Not that Dan really expected it to be a problem; Landon was always making friends on the playground but this was different in that Dan wouldn't be staying there with him the entire time. 

"I can stay for a while, yeah. I kind of planned for that, just in case." He smiles, looking at Charlotte and within seconds, he's smiling so brightly that it hurts his face. She's just so _cute_. It makes Dan almost miss the days when Landon was that small. "Something tells me that these two troublemakers," he reaches for Landon, tickling his sides and making him squeal, "will get along just fine."

Landon tries to push Dan's hands away but starts to pout the moment the tickling stops. Dan laughs and scoops Landon up, bringing him up to rest on his lap.

"I really hope he doesn't cause too much trouble. He's usually really good."

Ryan watches Dan with Landon, and it's one of those moments where he remembers exactly why he does this. Why he wished all this on himself to begin with. Because he really, really does love kids, he loves his daughter and he loves watching other people with their kids, and it's a part of his life that he can't even begin to imagine living without. 

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Still...I mean, I know that I'd want to be able to stay and make sure Charlotte settled in okay if I had to take her somewhere else, so I always like to give people the option." He tucks Dan's papers away into the filing drawer at his desk, into the "E-F-G" file, and looks back up, grinning at Landon.

"Hey, buddy," he says, holding out a hand. "I'm Ryan. I'm here all the time, so if you need a cookie or anything, you can come find me, okay? This is Charlotte. She's kind of the princess around here, but I'm sure she can show you around and help you find all the best toys, okay?"

A bright smile stretches over Dan's face as Landon straightens himself up on his father's lap, attempting to look like an adult while shaking Ryan's hand with a very serious expression. It's really hard for Dan to hold in his laughter -- somehow he manages it. Landon is good and responds immediately with a polite, "Thank you, Mr. Ryan."

The mention of Charlotte helps Landon to relax again, sagging back against Dan's chest as he waves a little hand at her. Dan kisses the top of Landon's head, waving at Charlotte too and grins while speaking.

"You are a very pretty princess, Charlotte. It's an honor to meet you."

Ryan shakes Landon's hand with all the seriousness he'd muster up for meeting another adult, giving him a friendly smile. He's always loved kids, obviously, it's hard to run a daycare if you don't like kids, but Ryan...well, Charlotte is proof of exactly how badly he wanted to experience fatherhood. 

"She doesn't say that much yet," he tells Dan, "Well, much that's coherent, anyway. She talks incessantly, it just doesn't usually make much sense unless you know her." He grins, reaching back to fluff Charlotte's hair before turning back to face Dan and Landon.

"What's your favorite color, Landon?" he asks, opening the drawer that pulls out of the desk in front of him.

Dan grins, nodding as memories quickly come back to him. "Yeah, this guy was like that too. He had so much to say to everyone," he pauses, kissing the top of Landon's head. "He still does."

Of course, with being so young, Landon completely misses the teasing that his father is giving him and is entirely focused on deciding what color is his favorite. Judging from the look on his face, it's a very tough thing for Landon to decide. A minute passes and Dan starts to worry that maybe Landon actually needs to go to the bathroom before an excited answer is finally spoken.

"Green!"

Ryan laughs at the obvious mental struggle Landon goes through deciding. That's another thing he loves about kids - the perspective they have on things, unsullied by the bad things and drama of the world. 

"Green it is," he says, giving the little boy a smile as he digs into the drawer and pulls out a sheet of smiley face nametag stickers. He writes Landon's name on a green one, then peels it off of the paper and sticks it to the front of Landon's shirt. "There you go, kiddo. So everybody knows who you are."

Charlotte looks interested, and Ryan takes a little star off of another sheet of stickers and puts it on her forehead, kissing the top of her head just above it.

"Everybody already knows who you are, princess," he says. "Landon's new, he needs a big sticker."

Charlotte pokes at the sticker on her forehead and points at Dan.

"Man." she says solemnly, and Ryan chuckles.

"Yep, that's a man."

She points at him again, fussing with the sticker on her skin. 

"Man sticker." she says, and Ryan gets it.

"Oh, right," he says. "She thinks you should have a sticker, too," he explains, writing Dan's name on a sticker, then reaching over to stick it to his chest.

It’s hard not to let the laughter escape at the way Charlotte seems so concerned about Dan getting a sticker. He grins, leaning forward to make it easier for Ryan to get the sticker on.

“Aw, thank you, Charlotte.”

He reaches to smooth the sticker against his shirt, fingers brushing momentarily against Ryan’s. It sends a warmth up his arm -- one that he tries to ignore and ducks his head to nuzzle the back of Landon’s, trying to hide the possible blush that might be staining his cheeks now. 

Landon protests loudly at the nudges from his dad, whining slightly at reaching back and up to push at Dan’s face.

“Daaaaaaaad, stoppit!”

Dan smiles, the blush most definitely there on his cheeks, and kisses Landon’s head before pulling back.

“Sorry, buddy. Didn’t mean to embarrass you in front of your new girlfriend.”

Ryan touches a lot of people, just circumstantially, in the course of a day. But when his hand hits Dan's, he stops, just instinctively. Not because he feels like he's been shocked or anything like you'd hear in a romantic movie...but because he just wants it to stay, wants to keep his hand in contact with Dan's, and it takes a second for him to realize that's a little weird, Ryan, and to draw his hand back.

He swallows hard, and tries to move on - he really doesn't need to get up in another stupid single-dad-crush on one of his clients. Landon has a mother somewhere, after all, who probably wouldn't appreciate Ryan sitting here trying to sneak-touch her son's father.

"Don't worry, Landon," he says, trying to keep his tone easy. "Charlotte's a daddy's girl, she won't judge you. She loves cuddles." 

He gets Charlotte out of her high chair and sets her on the ground, giving her a little pat on the butt.

"Go on, sweetheart. Go ahead and go play, if you want. You could show Landon where the blocks are."

The moment that Charlotte is down on the ground, Landon scrambles off of Dan’s lap to join her. It makes Dan smile to see how Landon is already connecting with another kid here. He watches as the pair stumbles off together to the blocks and makes sure that Landon behaves and shares with Charlotte before turning his attention back to Ryan.

“I really hope he behaves. It’s been awhile since he’s gone a day without me.”

He tries not to let any remorse creep into his voice. He doesn’t want to be one of _those_ parents who can’t bear to let his kid go for a few hours. Landon needs this -- needs to connect with other kids, form bonds and develop his social skills more.

“If he gets too rowdy or anything, you can just call me and I’ll come get him. And I apologize in advance if that has to happen.”

Ryan watches the two kids run off, and it's pretty obvious from the look in his eyes that Charlotte is his world. He doesn't even try to hide it anymore, it's not like he's ashamed of it.

"I'm sure he'll be great," he assures Dan. "Charlotte's a little social butterfly. She latches onto new kids, no matter how old they are. If he's not sick of her by the end of the day, it'll be a first." He laughs. "Really. I'll call you if anything gets out of hand, but he seems like a good kid. You want me to show you around a little while they play? Not that you need to know where everything is, just some parents like to have the space in their heads. Oh! That reminds me."

He digs into the drawer again and hands a piece of paper to Dan.

"This is the website where our camera is set up, that's the login there, so if you want, you can log on and watch him. There are three cameras, one in the big playroom, one that covers the main room and my office, and one that covers the time out room. That's where they take naps."

Everything about the way Ryan talks and explains things just completely puts Dan at ease; he feels even more sure about the fact that choosing to bring Landon here -- to Ryan’s daycare -- was the best possible decision. He takes the paper, glancing quickly at the login information, and smiles at Ryan.

“Thanks for this.”

He folds the paper and puts it in his pocket. He’ll add the information in a note on his phone later.

“A tour would be pretty nice, if that’s not a hassle for you right now.”

Dan doesn’t really _need_ to see the entire place. He feels reassured enough at this point but he’d like to spend some more time talking with Ryan. Just…. to get to know the person he’s leaving his son with. No other motivation hidden in his actions.

And of course, there's no real reason either why Ryan feels a quiet satisfaction when Dan asks for a tour, why that slight inconvenience on a morning when he's already been stretched thin actually makes him glad. Maybe it's because he feels at ease around Dan already, but he nods quickly, maybe a little too enthusiastically, and stands up.

"Sure, yeah, no problem. Gives you a little perspective, you know, so when Landon comes home and won't stop talking about something he did, you have a frame of reference in mind."

He comes out from behind the desk and gestures towards the door, letting Dan exit first.

"Generally we'll have a snack around ten, then naptime from eleven to twelve. Then they get to play before lunch at one." He doesn't know why he's going over the schedule now, but it seems like as good a time as any. "Some of the kids go back to sleep when they get dropped off, some of them like to get right to playing."

It’s easy for Dan to just fall into step next to Ryan, hands in his pockets as he listens intently as the schedule is explained. He appreciates having that told to him; it gives him a good idea of what type of mood Landon could be in at the end of the day. 

“When Landon wakes up in the morning, he’s _up_ until about midday so that works perfectly for him.” 

Dan smiles and laughs when he has to side-step out of the way of a few over eager kids playing some made up game of dragons and knights and….. trolls? He doesn’t really know. It’s not a big deal, though. His shoulder brushes Ryan’s, and he gives the man an apologetic look before moving back out from his personal space once the kids are clear.

“I really think that this is going to work out great for Landon. He seems settled already with Charlotte.”

There was still the fact that Dan hadn’t _left_ yet, though.

He wasn’t sure what the reaction would be then.

Ryan nearly jumps when Dan moves up against him, and once again, he finds himself trying pretty hard not to lean into it. Because that would be really, very weird and inappropriate.

"Charlotte has a way with other kids," he says, smiling. "Sometimes I think she's a lot smarter than she lets on, than she should be at her age, I'll catch her just watching, and I think 'she's just waiting and one of these days she's going to take over the world.'" He laughs, tucking his hands into his pockets. "I'm sure everybody thinks that about their kid, but...Charlotte's my everything, it's hard to keep myself from getting carried away."

He glances at Dan, giving him a sheepish smile.

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you that, though. You probably do the same thing with Landon."

A warmth fills Dan’s chest at the way Ryan talks about Charlotte. It’s a feeling that he completely understands, one that he feels on a daily basis with Landon but still -- hearing the way the Ryan cares about his daughter is heart warming. 

“Yeah,” he smiles crookedly at Ryan. “I remember when Landon was only four months old and I always thought he had this look on his face like he was just trying to figure out how to take over.” He laughs then, looking over at where Landon and Charlotte are building some abstract palace out of blocks. “We better be careful. They might team up and take us all down.”

As much as Dan wants to stay and watch Landon with Charlotte and talk more to Ryan, he knows he can’t. He has to leave to get ready for work. Sighing, Dan steps away from Ryan, approaching Landon and Charlotte and crouches down to be on level with his son.

“Hey, buddy. Are you having fun here with Charlotte?”

Landon’s response is immediate -- bright and happy and eyes all wide and smile blinding. 

“Yeah!! We’re makin’ a castle!!!”

Dan smiles, looking over the so-called castle and gives two thumbs up of approval. 

“You two are super good at building stuff. I want to live in a castle like that.” The praise makes Landon glow and Charlotte babbles incoherently but she seems happy so Dan takes that as a win. “So, buddy, I have to go to work now. How do you feel about staying here with Charlotte and Mr. Ryan while Daddy goes to work?”

And here it comes. The thing Dan was dreading the most. Landon’s expression falters, confusion taking over and Dan _knows_ that those are tears starting to form in his son’s eyes and suddenly this all feels like a huge mistake. The guilt seems to just explode inside his chest when Landon starts to bawl and throws himself onto Dan, clutching at his father’s shirt and sobbing harshly.

“I w-want you to s-stay and p-play, Daddy!”

Dan lowers himself to the floor, pulling Landon onto his lap and kisses his head, rubbing his back slowly.

“I know, buddy. But Daddy has to go to work and you’re going to have so much fun here with Charlotte and Mr. Ryan. You like them, don’t you? They’re really nice and they just want to play with you today.”

He feels a little helpless at the way Landon keeps crying loudly, hiccupping and protesting to his father leaving him. He glances over at Ryan and mouths ‘I’m sorry’ at him, an extremely apologetic look on his face.

The first day is always rough, Ryan's used to that by now. Actually, the first _week_ is usually the hardest, but most of the kids who are at the daycare now managed to settle in after three or four days, once they got it in their heads that their mom or dad was definitely coming back for them and that really they just got to play all day. 

The fact that he knows Landon will get over it doesn't make it any easier to watch the little boy cry into his father's shirt. Ryan knows there's really not much he can do himself to make this easier, that Landon really just needs to get it out of his system. He gives Dan a reassuring look, there's no way he'd blame a parent for this kind of thing. There are some poorly-disciplined kids who come to the daycare, but this isn't the kind of behavior he has a problem with, not on a first day, not when it's pretty clear that a parent is as close to their kid as Dan seems to be with Landon.

Charlotte doesn't have that kind of logic on her side, though, and she looks very concerned as she walks over to where Dan and Landon are. She touches Landon's shoulder, patting it a little clumsily.

"Play," she says. "Play. Stop cry." 

"Charlotte," Ryan says, a little uncertainly. She's usually not much for sticking around once the crying starts, but she seems to be genuinely interested in fixing whatever's wrong with Landon. 

"Lannin," she says, plopping down on the floor next to them. "Laaaa-nnin."

Charlotte’s approach is really a blessing. Hearing her voice makes Landon pause in his crying, turning on Dan’s lap to look at her. There are still tears rolling down his cheeks and his breath is coming in little hiccups but he quiets down as he stares at Charlotte. 

Dan watches, a little unsure, and keeps rubbing his hand soothingly over Landon’s back.

“See, buddy? Charlotte wants to play with you. You’re going to have fun here.”

Landon looks a little apprehensive, one hand gripping at Dan’s arm while he reaches over to pat at Charlotte’s shoulder.

“Daddy…… stay and play with us?”

Dan takes a deep breath, shaking his head and brings a hand up to brush the tears from Landon’s face. “No, buddy. I can’t stay right now to play. You know that I would love to do that, right? But I have to go to work for a little bit. I’ll be back before you know it. I promise you.”

Somehow having contact with Charlotte is helping to calm Landon down quicker than it would usually take and Dan is just….. so grateful and amazed. He keeps murmuring assurances to Landon that he’ll be back and they can play later and it’s going to be okay and that Landon is going to have sooooooooo much fun today!! It works. Little by little, Landon’s breathing evens out and the tears stop and he moves a little off Dan’s lap to get closer to Charlotte.

“Will you play with us when you come back?”

Dan smiles fondly, kissing Landon’s temple.

“Yeah, buddy. I’ll play with you and Charlotte when I come back.”

“And Mr. Ryan? Will he play with us too?”

That makes Dan chuckle, looking over at Ryan once more.

“I don’t know, buddy. Mr. Ryan might be busy with the other kids later but you could ask him.”

Landon swivels his head, peering up with a bit of fear in his expression.

“Mr. Ryan, will you play with me and Daddy and Charlotte later?”

Ryan doesn’t get asked to play often. Usually, as the senior figure of authority in the daycare, kids just come to him when they want to tattle on other kids and want him to dole out punishments. He’s honestly a little flattered (besides which he’s more than happy to have the opportunity to spend more time with Dan, although he certainly wouldn’t admit it).

“I think I could play for a while,” he agrees, crouching down next to Charlotte and leaning in to kiss the side of her head. “If you’re good today and eat all your snacks and make sure to play with at least three toys. Those are the rules.” He says it seriously, but he’s smiling. 

Charlotte leans back on him a little, still watching Landon closely, worried.

“Lannin stay.” she says, emphatically, grabbing onto Landon’s hand, then, as if that wasn’t impertinent enough for her tastes, pushes at Dan’s shoulder. “Go.” 

“Charlotte,” Ryan laughs, “He can leave when he wants to.”

“Work,” Charlotte says, and nudges Dan again.

Dan can’t help the surprised laughter that bubbles up at Charlotte’s demanding tone and push. There’s nothing quite like being pushed around by a two year old to make someone feel motivated. He waits for Landon to slowly move off his lap, which is hurried along by a gentle nudge and Charlotte taking hold of Landon’s hand; it makes him move closer to her and further off Dan’s lap.

Once he’s free to move his legs, Dan shifts onto his knees and smooths a hand down the back of Landon’s shirt, leaning in to blow a raspberry on the side of his neck.

“I’m going to go to work now, baby, okay? Are you going to be okay playing with Charlotte and the other kids?”

Landon still looks a little hesitant at his father leaving but with Charlotte holding onto his hand, he seems to be a bit steadier and nods.

“I play with three toys and eat snacks and Daddy and Mr. Ryan will play with us.” Landon says it so matter of factly, looking at Dan for confirmation -- he nods quickly, saying yes -- then to Ryan.

Ryan laughs and nods too, reaching down to offer Landon a handshake.

“You got it, buddy,” he says. “It’s a deal. You wanna shake on it?”

Charlotte reaches over and slaps her father’s hand, grinning big.

“High five!” she says, excitedly, and holds her hand out to Dan. “High five, man.”

Ryan laughs louder, picking her up and squeezing her tight.

“I like your attitude, princess,” he says. “You’re spunky.”

“Spanky?” Charlotte asks, looking concerned.

“No, no spankings. You’ve been good this morning. And you can keep being good by showing Landon where we keep those big squishy bricks for the house.” He gestures towards the small, hollow frame of the playhouse a short distance off. “You know where the bricks are?”

Charlotte thinks, then nods vigorously and starts to wiggle to be put down, so Ryan sets her down and she grabs Landon’s hand, dragging him towards one of the many toy chests in the room. 

“Lannin, Lannin, Lannin,” she chants, pulling him along. 

Dan laughs at the entire exchange, giving Charlotte a high five when she asks and just keeps beaming at the way Charlotte and Ryan interact. It makes him miss when Landon was that small. Not that he really wants to go back to two hours of sleep per night and constant diaper changes and having to figure out what’s wrong because Landon couldn’t communicate properly yet.

Right before Charlotte pulls Landon away, Dan snags his son and peppers his face with kisses. 

“Daddy’s going to go to work now, okay? You have fun with Charlotte and Mr. Ryan and I’ll be back to play before you know it.” 

Landon doesn’t look as distraught this time around at the fact that his father is leaving. “Okay! We can build castle later!” Landon smiles and tries to squirm away as Dan hugs him tighter before finally letting go. 

He watches as Landon follows after Charlotte, smiling brightly at the way they just hold onto each other’s hands.

After a minute, he turns to Ryan and sighs slowly.

“I guess I should be going now. I really do have to get to work.”

Ryan nods quickly.

“Yeah, absolutely. These little critters aren’t cheap, believe me, I know.” He grins, watching Charlotte fondly. “I’ll keep in touch throughout the day if any problems come up. I doubt they will, he already seems to be adjusting.”

Dan seems to look a bit relieved at the reassurance and he smiles slightly, nodding his head.

“Okay, yeah. Thanks. I’ll be here by three to pick him up.” 

He watches Landon for another moment, observing as he and Charlotte start to build something with the blocks. The look of determination on Landon’s face is one that Dan has seen a hundred times over but it still makes him smile brightly. He has to shake himself from the moment, taking a step back.

“I’ll see you later, Ryan. Thanks for everything.”

With that, Dan turns and heads for the door before he gets sucked into staying any longer than he can. It’s hard to take those first few steps but when once he gets to the door and looks back, his gaze moves quickly from Landon and Charlotte to Ryan, and when Ryan meets his gaze and smiles, Dan’s chest seems to tighten and relax at the same time.

Bringing Landon here might turn into more than he bargained for, and oddly enough, he’s more excited than scared about that.


End file.
